Be My Valentine?
by jayfeather86
Summary: Zoro isn't having the best Valentine's Day, and thanks to a turn of events, neither is Sanji. Later they find themselves spending some unexpected time together, and like usual, nothing goes as planned. [Written for my lovely valentine auspizien for the ZoSan Valentine Exchange!]


Zoro was fuming by the time he was finally able to leave work at noon, practically radiating a pissed-off aura and snarling at anyone who came near him. It didn't help that he'd been there since six in the morning, after getting a call from his boss at eleven last night to tell him the guy who usually worked that shift had called in sick and they had no one to cover. Zoro had been at a party with his friends, mostly Luffy's posse, that night, and was less than happy to find himself dragged into working possibly the worst shift at the shitty delivery service company where he had the misfortune to be employed.

It was grunt work, but lifting heavy shit was something Zoro was good at. He was incredibly strong, to the point of scaring other people when he hefted two hundred-pound boxes with apparent ease, but he didn't care, really. The job paid decently, but the hours were shit, and that pissed Zoro off to no end. It threw off his workout schedule. And his life. Zoro rolled his eyes. What little life he could have with such a shit job, anyway.

Also, it was fucking Valentine's Day. Which meant that everything was decorated with damn pink and red hearts, and there were couples walking around being disgustingly affectionate. Even the TV channels were filled with nothing but nauseating romance movies and advertisements for flowers and chocolate and all that crap. Zoro had never been one to enjoy the holiday much, but today it was just pissing him off. _Fucking bullshit holiday_, he mentally snarled as he tried not to slam the door to the warehouse behind him and headed for the parking lot, jamming his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Only a complete fucking idiot would buy into this shit. Why the hell is this even something that's allowed to exist?" Zoro hardly realized it, but he was monologuing angrily to himself as he walked around the building to where the parking lot was located. "Valentine's Day is a bunch of bullshit. Makes me wanna throw up. Who needs fucking flowers just because it's February?"

Zoro shook his head irritably, glancing up at the overcast sky with a scowl as he came to the parking lot. All he wanted to do now was go home and crash in front of the TV with a bottle of booze or three. All his friends would be out doing stupid Valentine's Day stuff with their partners, so he had nothing better to do, anyway. Luffy had been boasting excitedly to him the other day about how he was going to take Nami to the weather science museum she'd been wanting to visit and then out to dinner (to eat his weight in meat, of course), to which Zoro had scoffed and rolled his eyes. He had made clear his disdain for Valentine's Day, but that didn't deter Luffy one bit.

He snorted and ran a hand through his short green hair. _Nothing stops Luffy, anyway._ Well, except for Nami, but that was only on certain occasions. And he really didn't want to know what Robin and Franky had planned, based on the rather lecherous, "Super~" the large man had let out after Robin whispered something in his ear. Zoro shuddered. He didn't need to know what went on between those two.

Shaking his head, Zoro walked between the rows of cars, looking around for his battered old Honda. He needed a new car, honestly, but with the job he had now, he couldn't afford one. Another thing that pissed him off about this job. He rolled his eyes, feeling a spark of anger in his already simmering irritation. He didn't need this right now.

"Goddammit, where the hell is it?" Zoro said out loud, frustrated, and he wasn't watching where he was going, too busy looking for his car in the sprawling lot, when he collided head-on with another person, their skulls smacking together with a painful impact and their chests bumping roughly.

They both stumbled back a few steps, and Zoro glared at the guy, a familiar skinny blond about his height with his hair covering one eye. "Hey, watch where the hell you're going, asshole!" he snapped, too pissed off to even think about apologizing.

Unsurprisingly, the blond glared right back at him with a heated gaze. "I could say the same thing about you, shitty green-haired idiot!" he said, retrieving the bouquet of flowers he had dropped when they collided. "Don't get all pissy with me just because you can't watch where you're fucking going!" He rolled his eyes. "You're probably lost out here, aren't you?"

Zoro's eyebrow twitched violently, and he resisted the urge to just deck the idiot. "I am _not_ lost!" he snarled defensively, and knew instantly that this was the wrong thing to say as the blond snickered.

"Ooh, that must be it then," he taunted with a smirk. "So you are lost. You can't even remember where you parked? You must really be an idiot."

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "You know, you've got a big mouth for someone with a skinny ass like yours, Curly-brows," he said, a little more threateningly than he probably should have.

Sanji glared daggers at him for that comment. "I could kick your ass in no time flat, moss-head," he snapped. "And my eyebrows are better than yours."

One of Zoro's eyebrows quirked upwards at this. "Really? You look so capable in those lavender jeans," he commented sarcastically, glancing down with obvious disdain at the pale lilac jeans that hugged the blond's legs and hips, matching well with the open white dress shirt he was wearing with a t-shirt underneath. Accented his figure rather nicely, a little voice in Zoro's head told him, but he quickly shut it up with only slight mental horror at his own thoughts. Sanji was a friend. An incredibly fucking irritating friend, but he had to put up with the guy because he hung around Luffy and Nami, too. He shouldn't even be thinking about _that._

"I'm gonna fucking kill-! Wait a second," Sanji suddenly cut himself off, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone, which was ringing and showed a picture of a familiar woman with a cigarette in her mouth and a pouty look on her face.

Zoro's other eyebrow joined its companion higher up on his forehead. "You gonna answer that?" he prompted when Sanji hesitated.

The blond sighed, wincing as he pressed the 'Ignore' button on the screen. "No, but I gotta go," he said, glancing at Zoro. His eyes narrowed in a glare. "You made me late, asshole!"

"You made yourself late, stupid cook!" Zoro retorted, rolling his eyes as Sanji ran across the parking lot. "I hope she dumps you!"

"Fuck you, moss-head!" Sanji flipped him off with his free hand as he got in his car, quickly speeding out of the parking lot to go meet his girlfriend Baby.

Zoro rolled his eyes as he walked to his own car, finally having located it as Sanji was making his getaway. The stupid cook was particularly annoying around this time of year, with all his lovey-dovey shit and the over-the-top chivalry. He was always a sucker for any woman who so much as batted her eyelashes at him, and that was irritating in itself.

Who the hell wanted to deal with that all the time, anyway? Zoro shook his head, resigning to never understanding the love cook as he started the car and pulled on his seatbelt. He paused before putting it in gear, feel his phone vibrate inside his jacket pocket. Zoro frowned. Who could that be? He had thought everyone was busy today.

But he pulled out the phone anyway and flipped it open, not bothering to glance at the outer screen since his phone was too old to have caller ID anyway. "Hello?" he asked, putting the phone to his ear. "Who is it?"

"Zoro, is that you? Why didn't you pick up before?" Nami's voice complained in his ear. "I called you twice before."

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I was a little hung up," he replied. It was the truth. "I didn't hear it."

Nami just sighed, the sound of her breath crackling in the speaker. "I keep telling you to get a new phone," she began. "What if it's an emergency and we need you?"

Zoro grunted. "I don't need one. This works fine," he said, like he always did when Nami nagged him. Besides, he didn't have the money for one, anyway. "Now what the hell did you call me for? Besides to bitch at me."

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to a party with us later tonight," Nami informed him, ignoring his grouchiness. "I know you had to leave early last night, and it's Valentine's Day, sooo… What do you say?"

"No thanks." Zoro rolled his eyes. "You know I hate Valentine's Day. Besides, I'm done with parties for a few days."

"If you say so," Nami replied with that 'whatever you say' tone of voice, and Zoro could almost hear her accompanying shrug (and the roll of her eyes). She knew that arguing with Zoro was useless. Good thing, too.

"Thanks," Zoro said shortly before hanging up, shutting his phone and shoving it in his pocket and pulling out of the parking lot, heading home at last.

It was a relief to be finally getting away from work, but Zoro was slowly realizing how bored he was going to be for the rest of the day. He was looking forward to going home and sleeping, then waking up and having a drink while he watched TV or something, but that felt like kind of a bum way to spend a day. _Maybe I should go work out or something_, Zoro thought to himself. He was behind on his training anyway, with his screwed-up work schedule and all that, and that sounded more productive than laying around at his tiny apartment.

Zoro sighed. It would take him at least a half an hour to get to the gym, and that was a pain in the ass. But the dojo where he trained with his swords was further still, and traffic was already slow. He rolled his eyes as he came to a stop behind at least twenty other cars backed up too far to even see the intersection, where the light was probably green but no one gave enough fucks to actually see that. He let out an irritated huff and drummed his fingers on the wheel while traffic crept forward at a snail's pace, which only served to irritate him further.

It was going to take him an hour to get home at this rate, let alone to the gym. Zoro rolled his eyes and sat back in the seat, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Stupid fucking Valentine's Day. He always had shitty luck in love and in holidays, anyway. No else seemed to, however. All his friends were out with their significant others, doing some stupid romantic shit like going to dinner and a movie and all that. And probably getting laid afterwards, too, Zoro thought, rolling his eyes once more. _Fuck that. _He sighed in annoyance, and for some reason his thoughts wandered to Sanji.

He wondered what the stupid cook was doing with his girlfriend for such an occasion. Probably something extravagant, if he knew Sanji and his obsession with pleasing women. Especially the only woman who'd agreed to go out with him, even if it was because she felt "needed." Zoro snorted. He didn't particularly like Baby at all. She was obnoxious, oblivious, and full of hot air.

No wonder Sanji liked her. They were two peas in a pod.

So why did that make Zoro's chest ache with a weird twinge when he thought of it? He rolled his eyes. There was no way he was going to tell Sanji something like that. It wasn't like he _liked_ the guy. As more than a friend, anyway. Or a sparring partner. Or someone to talk to.

Fuck, that sounded way too intimate. He had never really _talked_ to Sanji more than a few times in the entire time they'd known each other, anyway. Usually it was just bickering and pointless arguing because their personalities clashed like neon colors. But it was talking, and Zoro was forced to admit that he liked being around Sanji. He was the only one he could really let loose with, both in their sparring and their verbal fights.

Zoro sighed and glanced around. Traffic was at an almost complete gridlock, and he was getting tired of it. He needed to get out of here. Fuck the gym; he just wanted to go home and have a drink. Valentine's Day kinda sucked when you were "the single friend" and simultaneously hopeless with any kind of romantic relationship.

He looked around for something to take his mind off those thoughts, eyes scanning the scruffy trees that lined the edge of the road and led into a forested area, and that's when his memory clicked. There was a river just a little ways beyond those trees, and it was one of his favorite spots to meditate. Both because it was quiet and mostly undisturbed and because his shitty cell phone didn't get a signal out there, which allowed him to relax for once and simply not worry about whatever the hell was going on. It could wait a while.

Zoro thought that sounded like a great idea at the moment. A quiet place to clear his mind and avoid anyone who might want to bother him? Great. Suddenly more enthusiastic, he sat up straight in the seat and maneuvered his way out of the left lane, silently thankful that the right was empty, and drove onto the gravel shoulder to park out of the way of traffic.

He got out of the car, casting a quick glance around before locking the doors with a click of the button on his car key. A walk in the woods sounded nice, especially if traffic was going to be a bitch and make him late anyway. Maybe it would be cleared up by the time he got back, Zoro thought briefly as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off, disappearing into the leafy foliage of the woods.

He liked these woods. Liked them a lot, actually. They were a place where nature had reclaimed her territory, and Zoro appreciated being able to get away from the stiff structure of his own life and return to someplace with a more peaceful, zen feeling about it. His favorite spot to meditate was by the river, listening to the water flow over the stony riverbed and the sounds of the forest around him.

It helped to relax him a bit just thinking about it, and Zoro almost wished he had his swords with him so he could practice a few katas in peace. He loved practicing at the dojo, but with other people around, there was only so much he could do since he had to be careful of them. His unique three sword style techniques were dangerous, lethal even, though they served him well against the people he fought in training at the dojo and occasionally in tournaments.

Zoro was so absorbed in his thoughts about his swordsmanship and training that he almost walked right into the river before he noticed it. He blinked a few times, stopping just short of the grassy bank and looking down at his feet just inches from the clear flowing water. _Weird,_ he thought to himself. He was usually always on high alert of his surroundings. It came from the natural honing of instincts thanks to his rigorous training with a sword. The sound was relaxing, though, and he let out a calming breath before sitting down near the bank and closing his eye.

It was nice to get some solitude, and Zoro felt himself relax as he let the sound of the river and the wind relax him. With working too-long hours and stressing about all this Valentine's Day shit, he had almost forgotten how calming it was. It was like he could hear the trees and the water whispering to each other, giving off a calm energy in the air that he happily tried to return. With his eyes closed he could hear all the sounds of the forest around him: plants rustling their leaves, water flowing over the pebbly riverbed, the wind sighing overhead, even the soft skritching of squirrels scrambling up the bark of a tree with their tiny claws.

Zoro focused on keeping his breathing slow and steady, letting the troubles of the world slip away from his mind. He had learned at a young age that meditation helped a lot with any problem one might have, and searching within yourself for a solution was often very helpful. Well, it was when there wasn't another person splashing around in the brook and generally messing with the flow of energy in his quiet little space like a needle scratching on a record.

Annoyed, Zoro opened his eyes and glared in the direction of the disturbance through the green foliage. Another human being was the last thing he wanted to see right now. Meditation meant time to be alone with his thoughts, and he got a little irritable when that was interrupted, considering he got little enough peace as it was.

But then he caught a glimpse of blond through the green leaves and felt his stomach do a sudden flip-flop, his heart quickening for some reason. _Sanji?_ he thought almost disbelievingly, until he saw a flash of long legs wearing lavender jeans and knew it was couldn't be anyone else. He was very curious as to what Sanji was doing wandering around here as opposed to at lunch with his girlfriend, but for some reason he was reluctant to show himself.

Zoro ran his tongue over his lips as he sat and watched Sanji for a few minutes, just observing the cook and how he moved. One of his feet was wet from splashing in the river, most likely by accident, and his head was hung low to let his blond bangs fall over both eyes rather than just the usual one. The normally proud cook's shoulders were slouched, his eyes downcast while one hand held the wilted bouquet of flowers at his side.

Zoro's eyebrows knitted together at this. That wasn't a good sign. Maybe things hadn't gone well with Baby. The swordsman glanced away for a moment and felt a prick of guilt for saying he hoped Baby would break up with the cook. Mentally he tried to convince himself she wouldn't have done it. Baby would never walk out on a situation where she felt "needed." Or a person. Or so Zoro hoped.

Wait a minute, why the hell was he worried about Sanji's relationship all of a sudden? Zoro felt suddenly awkward, like he'd just intruded into Sanji's life somehow. It was the cook's business how he handled his love life, no one else's. _Especially not mine_,Zoro thought after a moment. _He'd probably kick me just for asking._ Not that that surprised him any. Sanji had a bit of a temper, particularly when Zoro was around.

Zoro supposed that was because Sanji hated him, and he rolled his eyes. Of course Sanji hated him. He considered Zoro competition, just like any other straight guy would. Just because he was interested in guys didn't mean the cook was. He was far from it, actually. In fact, Sanji was the most obnoxious skirt-chaser he knew.

That always pissed him off, too. Zoro rolled his eyes again. It was stupid and utterly nonsensical, just like his dumb crush. "Who needs you, anyway, stupid cook?" he muttered, trying to banish the thought before he got too worked up and confused and stressed out.

"That's what I wonder sometimes, too, marimo." Sanji's voice, followed by a weak laugh, was so close in proximity that Zoro couldn't help but jump a little. When had he gotten so close without Zoro even noticing?

"What the hell?" was the only thing he could manage to say after a moment, unable to come up with anything else. "What are you doing here, cook? I thought you'd be out trying to get some tail by now."

Sanji smiled wryly, though Zoro saw the flash of slight hurt in his eyes and felt a little twinge in his chest. "Nah, not today," he replied, shaking his head and trying only halfheartedly to sound unconcerned. "Got dumped."

Zoro made a slightly sympathetic face. "Ouch. Was she that mad?" He tried to keep his tone neutral and conversational, not too prying but not too callous either.

"Yeah," Sanji said with a faint smile, rubbing at the outline of the red handprint on his cheek. "You could say that. Looks like you got your wish, marimo."

"Oh… Sorry about that, man." Zoro glanced away for a moment, feeling inexplicably guilty for his remark earlier. It had been made in jest, just like most of the insults that flew between them, but now it just seemed a cruel jab. "She tell you that before or after you had lunch?"

"Before," Sanji said, smiling weakly at the joke. After a moment he sat down in front of Zoro with his long legs crossed, putting his head in his hands. "Shit… I can't believe I did that to her today. On freaking Valentine's Day."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Did that to her?" he questioned. "Looks to me like she's the one who owes you an apology." His gaze flickered to the handprint on Sanji's cheek, which looked like it still stung. Baby had a strong arm.

"Nah," Sanji said with a small smile, placing a hand over his cheek and unconsciously rubbing the stinging slap mark. "I think I deserved it. I fucking stood her up in front of a bunch of her friends… She had every right to be pissed."

"Stood her up? That doesn't sound like you, cook," Zoro commented, keeping his tone a careful mix of disinterested and teasing. In truth, he was feeling a little pissed off that Sanji put up with Baby's shit for this long, and at the same time feelings of joy and guilt clashed over the cook's newly single status. That part was a bit much to handle at the moment, so Zoro shoved it to the back of his mind for now, trying to focus on putting up a disinterested façade.

"It's because you made me late, damn moss-head," Sanji replied with none of his usual fiery temper, not looking up from staring at a tiny beetle crawling over a blade of grass between them. "I fucked up. But it's your fault."

"Yeah, probably…" The words slipped out in a guilty half-apology before Zoro could even think to stop them, and he was fairly sure he had a minor heart attack when Sanji stared at him with slightly widened eyes, obviously surprised and probably weirded out. "Uh… I…" He quickly tried to think of something to cover for himself, but his mind was a blank slate of sudden anxiety.

Sanji just chuckled softly after a few moments, and Zoro didn't know whether to be less nervous or more. "What the hell was that about, shitty cook?" he asked in snappish tone, narrowing his eyes in an attempt at a not-as-hostile glare. "I didn't say anything funny."

"Dumb moss-head," Sanji retorted, rolling his eyes. "Did I _say_ something was funny?"

Zoro was about to snap at him again, but then the sound of a phone ringing interrupted him, prompting a sigh from Sanji.

"Great… I know who it is," the chef commented dejectedly as he pulled out his iPhone, the device still ringing in his hand as he looked at the picture of his now ex-girlfriend that showed on the screen. "She's called me five times already to scream at me."

Zoro glared at the object in Sanji's hand, and he hardly even knew what he was doing before he snatched the phone away from the blond's slender hand, pressing the red 'Ignore' button on the screen with a sense of finality. "She's nothing but your bitchy ex now," he declared with a hint of possessiveness, stuffing the phone into his jacket pocket.

"Hey! Give me my damn phone back, asshole!" Sanji protested irritably, reaching for Zoro's pocket, only to have his hand smacked away. He glared at Zoro. "Give it to me or I will kick your ass, moss-for-brains."

"Tch. No, you won't," Zoro snorted, grinning at him. He could feel the fight coming on, feel the electric tension crackling between them on the borderline between enthusiastic male bonding and sheer territorial aggression. And it was exhilarating. This was the fun part of being so evenly matched with Sanji. He always knew he'd get a good fight out of the cook. "Try and take it from me, curly."

Sanji grinned back at him, his earlier moodiness seemingly forgotten. "You're on, seaweed-head," he said as he leapt up and struck out with a lightning-fast kick at Zoro's head, which the swordsman dodged with apparent ease.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," he taunted, grinning as he threw a strong punch aimed for Sanji's gut. He hadn't expected it to land, and this meant he was prepared when the cook dodged backwards with an agile leap, and he was able to hook one foot behind Sanji's ankle to trip him up.

Taken by surprise, Sanji improvised to turn the situation to his advantage, bending backwards to flip into a back handspring that clipped Zoro's jaw with a solid kick. _You're not going to win so easily, marimo_, he thought with a grin, his blood singing with the energy of the fight already with adrenaline rushing through his veins. This was just what he needed: someone he could give his all to and get it right back.

Zoro stumbled backwards, tasting blood from where he'd bitten his lip thanks to Sanji's kick, though he was grinning all the same. "Glad to see you're actually being serious today," he goaded as he moved in and struck rapidly, landing a few good hits to Sanji's solar plexus and sending him falling backwards far less gracefully this time to land on his ass right next to the riverbank.

"Who can take that hair seriously?" Sanji retorted, not wasting more than a second as he swept a leg outwards to kick Zoro's feet out from under him, sending the marimo tumbling down as he jumped back to his feet. His chest ached from Zoro's strong punches, but he ignored it, instead electing to focus on the marimo's next move, which was to aim low and try to take out his legs.

Sanji grinned. _Bad move, moss-head._ His legs were the strongest part of his body, and it was almost amusingly easy to let himself be taken to the ground before forcing Zoro's neck into a scissor lock between his thighs. It was fun watching his rival growl and struggle fruitlessly to force Sanji's legs apart, which was about as easy as trying to bend steel. "Having fun?" he asked with an amused smile.

"Shitty cook…" Zoro ground out, his voice a bit strangled due to Sanji's thighs being clamped around his neck, though the glare he shot at the cook was no less scathing than usual. "You scared…?"

"Of you? I don't think so," Sanji retorted, his tone a bit more defensive than he'd intended, and in that moment he lost a bit of concentration, which caused his legs to loosen.

It was all the opportunity Zoro needed. He was able to take his hands away from Sanji's legs now that his windpipe was no longer in danger of being crushed, and one of those large, tan hands flew up to smack Sanji hard on the ass with a quite audible _slap!_ as well as a surprised yelp from Sanji.

_What the hell?!_ Sanji immediately scrambled to get away from Zoro in the shock of having his behind so blatantly groped, too surprised to even think about the fight that had been going on just seconds earlier. His mind was screaming all of a sudden, buzzing with thoughts that were far from the fight. _Holy shit he touched my ass holy shit what the fuck his hands are warm and that felt good holy shit._

Zoro, however, had not forgotten the fight at all, and like a natural predator he pounced, sensing Sanji's moment of weakness like a shark smells blood in the water. He rolled to his hands and knees and swiftly straddled Sanji's waist, pinning the cook down with his heavier weight and grabbing a wrist in each hand to pin them as well.

Both of them were breathing hard, a slight flush of exertion coloring their cheeks as they breathed the same air and stared into each other's eyes, Zoro with a small grin of victory and Sanji with a slightly dazed look, his mind still racing.

"I win, curly cook," Zoro said simply, grinning. His grip on Sanji's wrists flexed, though he was careful not to hurt the chef for real. He knew how precious Sanji's hands were to him, and he respected that.

"Yeah," Sanji replied after a moment, his mind suddenly blank of witty responses. "I… I guess you do."

"Giving up already?" Zoro asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow. The banter was coming naturally again, but as the adrenaline slowly wound down, he was starting to realize the intimacy of their position. He swallowed and found his mouth dry for some reason, trying to ignore the quickening of his heartbeat in his chest.

"No," Sanji shot back defensively, but it was an empty protest. Zoro had him pinned in a rather… compromising position, and his cheeks were warm with more than just exertion. _What the hell?_ He tried to think of a reason for the sudden fluttery feeling in his stomach._ He's just… just…_ And that's when Sanji had a small epiphany.

The reason he put up with Zoro for so long.

The reason he kept coming back to him, even though they claimed to hate each other.

The reason he had come here today, seeking his calming presence.

Sanji swallowed dryly; somehow the realization of it hit him like a brick to the face. He was all at once nervous and elated and terrified as he looked up at Zoro, all the while mentally telling himself he was completely insane.

"Hey, marimo…" he began, and he hoped his voice sounded more certain than he felt.

"Yeah?" Zoro perked up, attentive upon hearing the sound of his name. Sanji didn't use his name very often.

The chef opened his mouth and immediately felt his cheeks heat up. "Want to be my valentine?" The words were out, and there was no time to take them back. For a moment he was terrified that Zoro would be disgusted and horrified and never want to see him again, and the thought made his stomach lurch.

Zoro's eyes widened, obviously taken off-guard by the question. "What the hell, dumbass cook?!" he exclaimed, though his cheeks were redder than Sanji's.

"Idiot!" Sanji snapped, feeling humiliated and let down as he shoved Zoro off him. "Forget I said anything, you fucking bast—mmph!" He was cut off when Zoro shoved his face in Sanji's and pressed their lips together, causing his mind to go completely blank.

Anything else the chef had been feeling went sailing out the window, replaced only by the warmth of Zoro's lips on his own and the firm but gentle embrace of Zoro's arms around his waist. He found himself kissing back by instinct, sitting forward and sliding almost into the swordsman's lap in a way that felt so natural that he could hardly believe he'd ever wanted anything else.

He stopped after their lips parted to introduce tongues, though, needing to breathe and a bit hesitant about the taste of bitter alcohol mixed with the tang of steel. They stayed close to each other, though, foreheads pressed together and practically nose-to-nose as they looked into each other's eyes.

"That's a yes, cook," Zoro said after a moment, a small grin coming onto his face before he stole another kiss, surprising Sanji momentarily. "I'll be your shitty valentine."

Sanji could only gape at him with wide eyes for a moment, his cheeks red as a tomato. "I, uh… Great," he babbled breathlessly, entirely lost for words. "I… Thanks."

Zoro chuckled deeply, the sound vibrating in his chest, which was almost pressed against Sanji's. "You're welcome." He couldn't remember being this happy on Valentine's Day in a long time.

Well, that was until Sanji clumsily tried to get up and ended up getting tangled with Zoro, which resulted in both of them falling in the shallow riverbank with a loud shriek from Sanji at the chilly temperature of the water.

"Jesus fucking Christ, this water is freezing!" he said in a shrill voice, pretty well soaked thanks to his flailing around.

"Thanks a lot, dumbass," Zoro said flatly, seeming less concerned about being soaked as he picked his waterlogged cell phone out of the river. "You ruined my goddamn phone."

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the dripping device. "Jesus, that thing must be from 2003," he said in a mixture of shock and horror. Then he glared at Zoro. "What the hell happened to _my_ phone?! Dammit, you asshole, I've only had that for six months!"

"Calm down, the pockets in this jacket are waterproof," Zoro replied, rolling his eyes. Then he glanced back at Sanji, a grin spreading across his face as he looked at the now-see-through lavender skinny jeans the blond was wearing. "Nice undies, cook. The little duckies suit you."

Sanji cursed loudly and pulled his legs up to his chest to cover his crotch. "Asshole!" he snapped, blushing hotly. "Shut up! I was supposed to get laid today!"

Zoro's grin only widened. "You wear thongs often, cook?"

Sanji glared at him. "Fuck you!"

He chuckled. "I'd be glad to. I was just heading back to my place, anyway. Wanna come along for the ride, curlycue?" A mischievous gleam sparkled in his dark eyes. "You are my valentine, after all."

A pause.

"…I top."

"…We'll see."


End file.
